Learning Curve

Tuesday December 24th

Finn

“Cool your jets, Cass. I already told you, I’m leaving as soon as Julia gets here,” Ace says into his phone, and a heavy sigh escapes his lips as he shoves three pairs of sweatpants into his suitcase. He adds another four hoodies, jeans, and a three-piece pinstriped suit that looks like a mob boss got ousted and ended up working at an accounting firm.

His clothing choices might be one of the world’s greatest mysteries.

“Yeah… No… Yeah…” He pauses as he appears conflicted on whether to bring a T-shirt that has Britney Spears’s face front and center or one that reads “I heart hot moms.” He ends up shoving them both in his suitcase. “Relax. I’m listening…”

He’s not listening, by the way. He’s currently waving his hands in the air and mouthing something toward me. “Hold on, Mom. I think Finn needs something. You okay, man?” he questions, widening his eyes and pursing his lips, a silent “Please help me end this call” signal.

“Nah, dude. I’m good. No need to get off that very important call with your mother.” The smile on my face makes Ace flip me the middle finger.

I shrug and go back to my mindless scrolling of TikTok until a new text notification pops up on the screen.

Jack: When you heading here, bro?

I start to type out a response, letting Jack know I’m planning to head up to the lake house—to spend Christmas with my mom and siblings—soon. My bag’s been packed since I woke up this morning, but that’s because my clothing choices don’t include fucking suits and a hundred T-shirts like Ace’s. I’ve got seven T-shirts, seven pairs of jeans, and two or three long-sleeves, and that makes my outfit planning pretty easy.

There’s a knock on the door, and I toss my phone down onto the mattress to answer it. Ace is still too busy figuring out what hair products to bring and pretending to listen to whatever his mom is saying in his ear.

Julia is on the other side, a soft smile on her face, but when she spots Ace behind me, standing near a suitcase that’s overstuffed with things he probably doesn’t need to spend Christmas at her parents’ house in the Catskills, she rolls her eyes. “How long has he been packing?”

“An eternity.”

She laughs and steps inside, and Ace uses her presence to end the call with his mom.

“Jules is here. Gotta go. See you soon.”

I can still hear her talking as he pulls the phone away from his ear, but he doesn’t hesitate to hit end.

“You ready?” Julia asks him.

“I was born ready, Jules.”

“Born ready?” She narrows her eyes on a scoff. “You’re still packing.”

His only response is to spin on his heel, toss a shitload of hair products and deodorant and cologne and I don’t even know what else into his suitcase, and start to zip it up. But when the zipper gets stuck because the damn thing has too much shit in it, he walks over to Julia and lifts her up into his arms.

“What the hell, Ace?” She squeals and slaps at his chest, but he ignores her as he sets her down on top of his suitcase that’s resting on his bed. Once the zipper closes successfully, Ace smiles up at Julia and waggles his brows.

“Born ready.”

“Idiot.” She snorts and hops off his bed, giving him a hard punch to his stomach before heading back over to the door.

Ace laughs and pulls his bag off the mattress, setting it on its wheels.

“What are you doing for Christmas, Finn?” Julia asks.

“Heading up north to a lake house my family is staying at,” I tell her, not completely sure what Ace has revealed to Julia about my current situation. But the innocent smile on her face tells me he hasn’t told her anything, or, if he has told her anything, he’s made damn sure she keeps it locked tight. And that realization only makes me trust Ace more.

He might be a fucking lunatic, but he’s never once not had my back.

“That sounds fun,” Julia says, but then her face takes on a comical, terrified expression. “You should probably pray for us. We’re going to be stuck in my parents’ cabin with Ace’s parents, my grandparents, and our crazy-ass siblings.”

“I hope your great-granny is in charge of Christmas dinner,” Ace teases and Julia snorts.

“After she got Meals on Wheels for Thanksgiving when we were little, my mom will never let that happen again. Georgia Brooks will not accept anything but the kind of Christmas experience Hallmark movies would be jealous of.”

As they both start to head for the door, I can’t stop myself from asking Julia the only question that’s been on my mind all damn day. “Hey, Jules, do you know what Scottie’s doing for Christmas?”

“I’m not sure.” Julia’s mouth turns down at the corners. “I think she’s just staying on campus.”

“She’s not going home?”

She shakes her head. “She’s still having a hard time with…” She trails off because, clearly, it’s a story we are all well aware of. “I tried to get her to come to the Catskills with Ace and me, but she refused.”

“Shit,” Ace mutters when his phone starts ringing in his pocket. He glances at the screen and rolls his eyes. “It’s my mom again. That crazy woman is probably tracking my phone and can tell we haven’t left yet.”

“I bet she’s desperate for other people to arrive because my mom probably has her crafting flipping ornaments and baking cookies.”

“Yeah.” Ace chuckles. “We better go.”

They both offer a wave as they head out the door, but I barely even register it. I’m too busy thinking about Scottie.

Can I really let her spend Christmas by herself?